To ease access to health research information, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) enhanced its system of collecting entries to its databases, popularly known as HERDIN or Health Research and Development Information Network. The new distributed system called HERDIN Network of Networks (NEON) is being deployed to research institutions nationwide.
Together with the deployment, PCHRD conducts HERDIN training to capacitate health research institutions to organize and update health research information which is part of the national health research repository.
Dr. Jaime Montoya, PCHRD Executive Director said, “Our goal here is to reach out to all health research institutions in the country and make their research results available at HERDIN without jeopardy to intellectual property concerns.”
HERDIN has three main databases: the research database, the expert database, and the institutions database.
“With this information available online, HERDIN will help health researchers, students, medical professionals, health industries, health research communities and the general public to access the health research information for wider application and usage. With the NEON system, experts and other industry players are also able to connect, share and collaborate for better management of information leading to utilization of research results,” said Dr. Montoya.
At present, HERDIN NEON contains more than 40,000 published and unpublished research articles from 200 health journals.
Partner institutions already connected and had contributed to the national repository are: Philippine Journal of Orthopedics, Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Philippine Scientific Journal, Manila Central University, Resource Center for Health System Development of the Department of Health (DOH) and Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRMC) for National Capital Region (NCR); Bataan Penisula State University (BPSU) and Tarlac State University for Region III; University of Perpetual Help Binan (UPH) for Region IV; Cebu Doctors University, Cebu Institute of Medicine, University of Visayas Gullas Medical Center and Central Visayas Health Research and Development Consortium (CVHRDC) for Region VII; Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan and Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology for Region X; Davao Medical School Foundation for Region XI; and Department of Science and Technology – Cordillera Administrative Region (DOST-CAR).
HERDIN NEON is free and accessible at http://www.herdin.ph/. For more information, please contact (632) 837-7534 or visit PCHRD website at http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph.(Edmon B. Agron)
